The new season of Nobody Wants This feels very much like a return to form for this beloved television series. What steals the episode is the hilariously uncomfortable love triangle between Timothy Simon’s character, Sasha Roklov, Justine Lupe’s character, Morgan, and Jackie Tohn’s character, Esther Roklov. The episode was succinct and effective at setting up what will be the main conflict of the season in a natural way: will Joanne convert to Judaism?
Be warned: spoilers ahead.
The vehicle for the recap of the last episode is a little overt, as Joanne (Kristen Bell) recounts the important events from last season to her podcast listeners. While a helpful reminder, it was a little obvious. Essentially, it’s important to know these three things before getting back into the season:
- Joanne views her originally leaving Noah Roklov (Adam Brody) as a selfless act, preserving his career over her own happiness.
- Noah winning Joanne back was, to Joanne, the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for her.
- Joanne and Noah are currently in a state of homeostasis. Nothing in their relationship is wrong.
The episode really begins with Joanne and Morgan debating whether or not Noah and Joanne are out of the “honeymoon phase” of their relationship. Morgan argues that Joanne and Noah won’t be out of this phase until after they blend their lives. Joanne argues that they are out of it now because they are hosting a dinner party- hence the title of the episode.
Noah is currently in the running to become a senior rabbi at his synagogue. This is his dream job, and a highly sought-after position. His relationship with a gentile is not helping his chances. Noah’s interviewer and boss, Rabbi Cohen, tells him that he should tell Joanne not to talk about him on her podcast to stop the congregation from rumoring about his relationship. Noah reassures the rabbi and tells him that Joanne is going to convert.
The comedic peak of the show lies in the love triangle between Sasha, Morgan, and Esther. Sasha and Morgan have had a simple, platonic- yet admittedly uncomfortable and tension-riddled- relationship in the past. While on their way to the dinner party, Sasha and Esther debate over whether or not Sasha and Morgan are still friends, and the nature of their relationship in the past.
While waiting for their guests to arrive, Noah casually confronts Joanne about her talking about him on the podcast. While they compromise on the subject, it seems to be something that will come up as a greater conflict later in the season. The first roadblock in the execution of their “perfect dinner party” happens when Ryann (D’Arcy Carden) enters. It turns out that she and her boyfriend Spencer broke up. This destroys the “couple” aspect of the couple dinner party. On top of that, Ryann arrives in pajamas and in tears.
Sasha and Esther arrive, quickly followed by Morgan. Morgan is dressed in a provocative outfit, with a big furry boa and short shorts. Sasha doesn’t know how to navigate this complex and awkward social situation, with his wife and his ex-situationship at odds. Esther pulls Sasha and Morgan into a bedroom to talk about their disagreements. Morgan and Sasha insist that nothing happened between them, although they both acknowledge that there was a weird energy between them. Esther declares that she will decide who Sasha is friends with. The heart of why Esther is upset is that she believes that people don’t think she’s fun.
Another layer of this love triangle is added when Noah’s friend Lenny (Miles Fowler) arrives. Noah is trying to set him up with Morgan. Now, to lay this all out, Esther is jealous of her husband, Sasha, and Morgan because Sasha and Morgan used to have a situationship, and Lenny is at the dinner party to try and hit things off with Morgan. Very complex.
While the dinner party seems to go well, it’s interrupted by Lenny expressing his delight that Joanne agreed to convert. Joanne never agreed. In fact, she never even wanted to convert. This is contrary to what Noah had believed. In an awkward argument infront of all their friends, Noah and Joanne exchange jabs over whether or not she will convert. Eventually, Joanne pulls her sister, Morgan, into the bathroom to discuss the future of her relationship with Noah. She says that it’s over between her and him, and Morgan knocks some sense into her, saying that now they are out of the honeymoon phase, a callback to their argument earlier in the episode. Joanne tells Morgan to stop focusing on Sasha and start focusing on Lenny. Morgan is hesitant at first because she’s out of Lenny’s league, but eventually agrees to this because Lenny will worship her.
Morgan and Joanne return to dinner. Lenny is leaving and doesn’t ask for Morgan’s number, leaving Morgan confused and suddenly attracted to Lenny. The rest of the dinner party moves along without many hiccups. After the dinner party, Joanne and Noah sit in bed. They both agree that they want to table the conversion debate for another day and just enjoy each other’s company for now.
The episode ends with Noah in Rabbi Cohen’s office. He was passed on for his dream job because Joanne refused to convert. Now, he must choose: his job or his girlfriend.
The start to this season was a hilarious and heartwarming reentry into this world. Albeit some jokes could have been expanded on. Ryann, lying on the floor during the dinner party, was joked about maybe three times, and it was definitely a missed opportunity to get some great comedy. The music choices, while all great song choices, were a little heavy-handed. Specifically, when Noah and Joanne are talking about whether or not Joanne will convert and Rihanna’s “Stay” begins to play. The show is laying on the theme a little too hard- we get the point without the song. Stephen Tobolowski as Rabbi Cohen delivers an exceptional and scene-stealing performance. He’s funny without even trying, and Timothy Simons playing his usual bumbling character is nothing short of hilarious. Overall, the episode is a fantastic start to the season.
Rating: 8/10